Orcus case study - Identity the Jeweller. Derby-based independent retailer who sought an EPOS system to help grow the business, resulting in the opening of a second store.

Identity the Jeweller is a family run business, headed up by husband and wife Steve and Alison Warner. With the help of their
sons, Andrew and Christopher, and other dedicated team members, since 2007 they
have run their very popular and successful jewellery and
gift store in Derby’s Westfield Centre.
Offering a range of men’s and ladies jewellery and a variety of gifts, they
quickly became established as one of Derby’s
leading independents.

In the summer of
2010, Westfield offered
Steve and Alison a mall counter space, from which they began selling a small
range of designer watches. This proved to be a big hit
with shoppers, so when another unit in the centre became available, they
decided to expand and open a dedicated watch store in place of the mall
counter.

In August 2011 Identity
the Jewellers Watch Shop opened. The products on offer proved to have the
right appeal, leading to an impressive start. The Myriad EPOS system from Orcus
has been crucial in their growth. Says owner Alison:

“From day one, the Myriad
EPOS system allowed us to control all aspects of the business. As well as
making transactions very quick and easy, we can see what our current stock
levels are, what we have on order with suppliers, what is selling quickly or
slowly, and pinpoint where our profit is coming from.

The reports the system
generates are incredibly valuable from a buying point of view. When it came to
expanding the watch side, we were able to predict which brands would be
popular, and what we should invest in. Although you have a feel for what is
going to sell well, there is no substitute for having the figures in black and
white.

We are sometimes
surprised by which lines become top sellers, but the system keeps us informed
and we are able to react quickly to prevent running out of stock.”

The watch store is
networked to the original jewellery store, which is a big bonus for
Alison:

“Although the units are
close together, we administer both of them from the back office PC in the
jewellery store. We don’t even have to walk round or call the watch store to
see what has been selling. Everything is available for us to analyse as it
happens, which means we can keep on top of demand and keep offering our customers
what they want.”

“Jewellery, watches and
gifts retail is incredibly tough at present, but our system gives us the edge
on the competition and helps us keep one step ahead. I don’t think we would
have been able to grow anywhere nearly as quickly without it.”